Short-circuiting device



May 6 1924. 1,492,796

w. H. HlMEs v SHORT CIRCUITING `DEVICE Filed May 1l 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet1 WITNESSES: INVENTOR 7 @e man@ -v 2S 25 be K Walerffizmes,

f AT'ToRN/l/ meme Mey 6,1924.

UNITED STATES 1,492,796 PATENT OFFICE.

waarna n. xmms, or rrrrsnuaon, PENNSYLVANIA, assIoNoa 'ro wns'rmonoussannc'rmc a Kaminer om@ connu.; conroaunoa or rmmsnvnua. v

BRUIT-CIMUITING DEVICE.

Application Sled lay l1, 1031. lerjal lo. 468,705.

To all'u'lwm it may cmwern:

Be it known that I, Warmx H. Hnuzs, a citizen vof the United States, anda resident of Pittsburgh in the count of Allegheny and State oennsylvanimlyiave invented a new and useful Improvement inShort-Circuiting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention vrelates to centrifugally actuated short-circuiting devicesfor dynamoelectric machines and it has articular relation tosingle-phase motors o the commutator type that are adapted for repulsionoperation during the startin operation and for induction operation, ater a predetermined s d has been attained.

One o ject of my invention is to provide simple, effective andinexpensive centrifugally actuated means for operatin a shortcircuitingdevice of the above esignated character.

Another object of my invention is to provide a centrifugally actuateddevice provided with a single-weight member so arranged as to bebalanced when in its outermost position.

Another object of my invention is to pro y vide contact mechanism -of asatisfactory y type that shall be adapted to be mounted adjacent to thecommutator cylinder, whereby certain segments thereof may beshort-circuited.

A still further object of m invention is to provide a mechanism where ythe pressure exerted by the shortcircuiting means upon the co-operatingcontact members shall be maintained substantially constant, irres tiveof the speedl of the machine, and s all be of suicient force to insure agood contact therebetween.

Heretofore, 't has been customary, in the construction oishort-circuiting devices for l commutators, lto move a short-circuitingmember axially into en gement with the ends of the commutator ars.Construction of another type sometimes employed is that in which a diskis moved bot axially and rotatably into engagement with the ends of thecommutator bars.

` My present invention differs from thc arrangements previouslydescribed n that a disk of insulating'- material is provided with spacedconducting members imbedded therein which are connected togetherelectrically by an annular conducting member which is wit moved, eithercircumferentially only or longitudinally only, when the machine attainsa redetermined speed. Means are provided wA ereby the ressure on thedisk remains constant at al times, thus insuring that a good contactshall be made between the short-circuiting member and the imbeddedcontact members.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view. partially inelevation and partially in section, of a commutator cylinder providedwith a short-circuiting device constructed in accordance with myinvention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1,illustrating the centrifugally-actuated weight device employed therein.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational detail view of the rotatableshort-circuiting disk as emplo 'ed in a device constructed in accordancemy invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a rotor of a dynamo-electric machineillustrating another form which my invention may as modified form of myinvention.

In the drawings, I show a commutator cylinde'r 6 comprising a pluralityof insulated circumferentially disposed conducting seg ments 7 arrangedun, but insulated from, a oentrall dispose supporting member 8. The mem r8 is, in turn,v mounted upon a shalt 9. Upon the end `of the commutatorcylinder 6 is rigidly mounted a disk 10 com- 1 of insulating material inwhich are imbedded a plurality of contact members 11. The Vcontactmembers 11 are each`- provided with an inte al' proection 12 of reducedcross-sectiona area w ich extends into, and is electrically andmechanically connected to, one of the commutator segments 7. The outersurfaces 13 of the members 11 are referably flush with the outer surfaceo the disk 10.

The contact members 11 arezpreferably of the ordinary screw type havingay .threaded body portion 12 of reduced cross-sectional area and a headadapted to be countersunk in an opening provided therefor in the disk10. The members 11 may, however, consist of ','ns or rivets havingrelatively large headsl and bodies of reduced cross-sectional m88- Fig.5 `is a cross-sectional view of another A disk 14, composed ofconducting material is rotatably mounted upon the supporting member 8 bymeans of studs or bolts 15 which extend through arcuate slots 16 in saiddisk. The disk 14 is also provided with aplurality of spaced resilientcontact fingers 17 which are adapted to engage'the outer surfaces 13 ofthe contact members 11 upon being rotated to a suitable position. Thedisk 14 is also provided With an axially projecting pin 18, the purposeof which will hereinafter be set forth.

The disk 20 is mounted upon the shaft 9 to rotate therewith and isprovided with a single centrifugally actuated member 21 piv otallymounted thereon by means of a pin 22.

'One end of the member 21 is provided with a'weighted portion 23 and theother end 24 is attached to a tension spring 25, the opposite end ofwhich is attached to a pin 26 mounted on the disk 20. The member 21 isalso provided with an integral offset portion 2i' disposed intermediateits ends having inwardly bent fianges 28 which engage the end of the pin18 which is mounted on the disk 14. The pin 18 extendsvthrough anarcnate slot 29 in the disk 20.

The operation of the device is as follows: when the machine is in itsstarting position` the weight member 23 is in its full-line position, asshown in Fig. 2, and the short-circuiting disk 14 is in the positionshown in Fig. 1, that is, with the contact fingers out of engagementIwith the contact members 11. When the machine attains a predeterminedspeed, the Weight member 21 moves to the position shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2, thus causing the flanges 28 of the portion 2T which engagethe pin 18, to rotate the disl: 14 to bring the contact fingers 17 intoengagement with the contact members 11.

Since the disk 14 moves in a circumferential direction only, and theresilient mem- `sers 17 are alike, the latter bear upon the disk 10 withequal pressure. Also, the fact that the surfaces 13 of the contactmembers 11 are flush with the surface of the disk ensures maintenance ofconstant. pressure, even when the contact fingers 1T slide upon suchcontact faces.

The armature is so balanced that, when the Weight 23 is in its innermostor starting position, the rotor is slightly unbalanced. but, when thelatter attains a predetermined speed and the weight moves to itsoutermost position, a balanced condition is attained.

In the structure shown in Fig. 4, a disk 30 is mounted upon a supportingmember 3l which, in turn, is mounted upon the shaft of the machine atthe opposite end from the commutator cylinder 32. The disk 31 is,rovided with s aced contact members 33 W lich are electrica lyconnected to certain of the commutator segments, or to other portions ofthe windings of the rotor, by means of connections 34. A rotatablev disk35, provided with contact fingers 36, serves to short circuit thecontact members 33, in a manner similar to that pertaining to the deviceof Fig. 1. Also, a centrifugally-actuated weight member 37, similar tothat described in connection with Fig. 1, serves to rotate the disk 35when the rotor attains a predetermined speed.

Thus, it is seen that, while my structure is particularly adapted to bemounted directly upon the end of the commutator cylinder, nevertheless,it may be mounted upon the opposite end of the machine and connectionsmade to the commutator lsegments or directly to the winding itself, asmay be desired.

In Fig. 5, I show a commutator cylinder in which ends of conducting bars41 project beyond the end of a centrally disposed supporting structure42. Upon the inner circumference of the annular member so formed ismounted a ring 43 composed of insulating material. The ring 43 isprovided with a plurality of spaced contact members 44. a. portion 45 ofwhich projects radially into openings in the ends 40 of certain of thebars 41. establishing electrical Contact therewith. The head of thecontact member 44 is flush with the surface of the ring 43. An annularconductin" member 47 is provided with a plurality of spaced resilientconducting lingers 48 corresponding in number, to the contact members 44and which engage the heads of the contact members 44 when the ring 47 ismoved longitudinally of the commutator cylinder. The member 47 may bemoved 'by means of any centrifugally actuated device. not shown, that isadapted to move a short-circuiting member longitudinally with respect tothe commutator cyl- I inder.`

While I have shown several embodiments of my invention` further changesand modifcations may be made without departing from the spirit. thereof.and I desire. therefore, that only 'such limitations shall be placedthereupon as areimposed by the prior art or are -specifically set forthin the. appended claims.

1 claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a commutator cylinder, an annular member composedof insulatingir material and mounted thereon and provided with aplurality of contact members, said contact members being electricallyconnected to said commntator cylinder', and a relatively movable contactelement adapted to engage with said contactI members.

2. In combination. a commutator cylinder comprising a plurality ofconducting segments, a body of insulating material mounted thereon andprovided With a plurality of spaced contact mem-bers, said contactmembers being electrically connected to certain of said segments spacedabout said cylinder, and a relatively rotatable member having contactbrushes adapted to move in and out of engagement with said contactmembers.

3. In combination with a commutator cylinder, anfannular member composedyo insulating material mounted thereon and proy i ments and beingattached thereto, and a relatively rotatable member havingshort-circuited contact brushes adapted to engage said embedded contactmembers in one position.

5. In combination, a commutatol cylinder comprising a pluralityoffconductin segments, an insulating disk mounted in engagement with theend of said cylinder, said disk being provided with contact membersimbedded therein, the surface of said contact members beingsubstantially flush with the surface of said disk, each of said contactmembers being provided with an integral portion extending into, andattached to, one of said commutator segments, and a relatively rotatablecontact element adapted to vengage with said contact members.

6. In a dynamo-electric machine, a commutator cylinder comprising aplurality of conducting segments, an insulating annular member mountedin en agement with the endof said cylinder, said annular member ybeingprovided with contact members imbedded therein, the `surface of saidcontact members being substantially flush with the surface of saidannular member. each of said contact members comprising a threadedportion extending into an opening in one of said commutator segments/and al head portion imbedded in said annular member, and a relativelyrotatable short-circuiting member having brushes ada ted to move intoand out of engagementc wit 7. In combination, a shaft, a supportingstructure thereon, a commutator cylinder mounted upon said supportingstructure and comprising a plurality of conducting seg- V ments, aninsulating disk mounted in lenl gagement with the end of said cylinder,said disk being provided with contact membersl imbcddeijltlierein. saidcontact members beingsnbstantially flush with a surface of said disk,each of said contact members bel ries said pivot pin.

said contact members.

vided with resilient contact fingers adapted i to engage said contactmembers vupon rot-ation of said-last mentioned disk, said last mentioneddisk being rotatably mounted uponl said commutator-cylinder-supportingstructure. f

8. A Speed responsive device comprising a shaft, a relatively rotatablymounted ringmember thereon and a centrifugal devicefoi' operating thesame, comprising an arcuatesliaped lever-member having a pivot pinintermediate its ends and carrying an abutment pin spaced substantiallyradially from said pivot pin, one of said pins being carried by Saidshaft and the otherby said ring-member, a weight on one end of saidlever-member, a sprin having one end attached to the other end o saidlever-member, and a support for the other end of said sprin said su portbeing carried by the saine efement w ich car- 9. In a dynamo-electricmachine, a rotor,

a disk composed of insulatingI material' mounted on said rotor, aplurality of contact members imbedded therein, the surface of saidcontact members being substantially flush with the surface of said disk,and means 'mounted on said rotor, a plurality' of contact membersimbedded therein, the surface of said contact members beingsubstantially flush with the surface of said disk, a second relativelyrotatable disk mounted adjacent to said first mentioned disk andprovided witha plurality of resilient contact fingers adapted to engagesaid contact members upon an ular movement of said last mentioned disk,and means for actuating said last mentioned disk when said rotor attainsa predetermined speed.

' 11. In combination, a commutator cylinder comprising a plurality ofconducting segments, an annular member composed ot insulating materialand mounted ad]acent to the end of said c i'f'linder, said annularmember being provided with contact members imbedded therein, each ofsaid contact members being provided with a reduced poradapted'\to engagesaid contact members iol tion vextending into, and attached to, one ofmembers being substantially flush with the said rotatable disk by meansof a pin-andsurface of said disk, a relatively rotatably slotconnection.

mounted member disposed adjacent to said In testimony whereof, I havehereunto 10 disk and provided with Contact fin ers subscribed my namethis 21st day of April, adapted to engage said Contact mem rs 1921.

when said rotatable member is moved, and

centrifugally actuated weights connected to WALTER H. HIMES.

